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CARL STRACK, 

President of the Enterprise Silk Co. 




PRICE, 25 CENTS. 

(500 Copies $50.) 



LA SALLE, ILL. 
THE ENTERPRISE SILK CO., Publishers. 



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CONTENTS. 



Page. 

Preface 3 

The Silk Worm— The Egg 5 

Wintering the Eggs 5 

Hatching the Eggs 8 

The Worm 9 

Feeding and Rearing the Worm, 

First Age 10 

Second, Third and Fourth Ages 12 

Preparations for Spinning 13 

Gathering the Cocoons 14 

The Moth 15 

Choking the Chrysalis 16 

Shipping the Cocoons 16 

Ants and other Insects 17 

Diseases of the Silk Worm 17 

Varieties or Races 20 

Food Plants ! 21 

The Cocoonery 22 

Facts that Must be Remembered 24 

Silk Culture as a Profitable Employment 26 

How to Begin Silk Culture 26 

Silk Grower's Requisites 28 



'AMERICA'S NEW INDUSTRY" 



-It SILK GROWING.!* 



A COMPLETE 



MANUAL OF INSTRUCTIONS 



FOR 



SILK GROWERS, 

7 

CARL STRACK, 

u 

PRESIDENT OF THE ENTERPRISE SILK CO. 



PRICE, 25 CENTS, 

500 COPIES $50. 



LA SALLE, ILL, 
THE ENTERPRISE SILK CO., Publishers 

1880. 



1 1886/2) "t 



Si 









Copyright by CARL STRACK 
1886. 



PRC-FACE. 



Though yet in this country in its infancy, Silk grow- 
ing is surely destined to become, what it is already so 
justly termed, "America's new Industry" — and while the 
author does not parade this work as one entirely original, 
yet he does issue the same with the firm conviction that 
many of the ideas and instructions advanced, are the 
result of his own practical experience and observance, 
and are therefore of much more value in the end, than 
those given by authors, who (as one very recently admit- 
ted to me) "never raised or even owned a worm in their 
life." 

With the hope that this work, containing the com- 
bined results of practical experience, and thorough re- 
search among books of acknowledged authority, may 
assist both the amateur and the professional- Silk grower 
in their endeavor to further increase "America's new In- 
dustry", the same is submitted to its readers as a practi- 
cal and reliable treatise and manual of Silk Culture in 
all its stages from the "seed" to the reel. 

The Author. 
La Salle , Sept. 1886. 



Digitized by the Internet Archive 
in 2011 with funding from 
The Library of Congress 



http://www.archive.org/details/americasnewindusOOstra 



THE SILK WORO). 



The Silk Worm exists in four ..stages — egg, larva, 
chrysalis and imago, and we will aim to give as briefly 
as possibly the characterictics and details of each of the 
different stages of its life, beginning with 

THE EGG. 

Silk growers generally call the egg of the silk worm, 
which is nearly round, slightly flattened and of the size 
of a small pinhead, the "seed." — When first deposited by 
the moth, it is of a yellow color, and this color it retains 
if it does not become impregnated. If impregnated it 
changes color to a gray, slate, violet, or dark green hue, 
varying somewhat according to breed or variety of the 
worm'. 

Each female moth produces from three to four hundred 
of these eggs, and in the market they are sold by the 
ounce, Which contains from 35,000 to 50,000 of them. 

WINTERING THE EGGS. 

These Eggs are now to be preserved until the spring 
following, and as this is the initiation step in successful 
Silk Culture we will not only give our own practical ex- 
perience in this regard, but also append the views of 
others, who are entitled to credit as successful and author- 
ative culturists. 



After the change in color has taken place the ego- 
should still be left on the tray or shelf, upon which it 
was deposited, and the atmosphere should rather be moist 
than too dry, while the temperature during the summer 
and autumn should not be allowed to vary too much 
from about 05° Fahrenheit; when in winter the outside 
temperature is expected very much lower, they should be 
placed in a cellar and kept at about 20° below the freez- 
ing point, always however bearing in mind that frequent- 
ly fresh air must be admitted, and mold guarded against. 
Rats and mice arc very fond of the eggs, and must there- 
fore be prevented from getting at them. They are most 
safely stored in a dry cellar, where the temperature 
sinks below the freezing point, and they should be oc- 
casionally looked at to make sure that thoy are not 
affected by mold. If, at any time, mold be perceived 
upon them it should be at once rubbed or brushed oil', 
and the atmosphere made drier. If the tin boxes be 
perforated on two sides and the perforations covered with 
hue wire gauze, the chances of injury will be reduced to 
a minimum. 

The eggs may also, whether on cards or loose, be tied 
up in small bags and hung to the ceiling of the cold 
room. The string of the bag should be passed through 
a bottle neck, or a piece of tin to prevent injury from rats 
and mice. The temperature should never be allowed to 
rise above 40° F., but may be allowed to sink below 
freezing point without injury. Indeed, eggs sent from 
one country to another are usually packed in ice. They 
should be kept at a low temperature until the mulberry 
leaves are well started in the spring, and great care must 
be taken as the weather grows warmer to prevent hatch- 
ing before their food is ready for them, since both the 
mulberry and Osage orange are rather late in leafing out. 
One great object should be, in fact, to have them all kept 
back, as the tendency in our climate is to premature 
hatching. — ( Riley.) 



The importance of having the eggs free from disease and 
of good races, has already been shown. They should be 
kept in tin boxes, to prevent the ravages of rats and mice, 
and be hung by string or wire from a joist in a cool, dry 
cellar, where the temperature rarely sinks below the freez- 
ing point. They should be occasionally examined to see 
if they are affected by mould. If this should be discover- 
ed on them, it must be carefully rubbed or brushed off 
of them at once, and they should be put in a drier place. 
The tin boxes may be perforated on two sides and the 
holes covered with fine wire netting. The temperature 
should never be allowed to rise above forty degrees, but 
may fall to freezing point without injury to the eggs. 
They should be kept at this low temperature till hatching 
time, which will be when the mulberry leaves are about 
the right size for feeding (about the size of J dollar), and 
great care must be taken as the warm weather increases 
in the spring, to prevent their hatching before the leaves 
are ready for them. When the warm weather com- 
mences, if too early, for their food, enclose the tin box in 
a wooden one, and place it on ice. As the tendency in 
our climate is to premature hatching, the great object is 
to keep them all back, as described above, till their food 
i s plenty. — (Rossiter.) 



HATCHING THE EGGS. 

After the eggs have been carefully kept as advised, and 
the time has arrived that there will be food for them, the 
Culturist's holidays are over, and he or she must prepare 
themselves for a term of patient and faithful work, for 
without these, success cannot be attained. The trays and 
shelves (of which we will speak further on) should now 
be thoroughly dried and disinfected with a weak solution 
of carbolic acid, (1 part of acid to 30 parts of water) placed 
in the cocoonery, which should have a temperature of 
about 70° Fahrenheit; the eggs are carefully spread out, 
and the temperature of the room increased about 2° each 
day — in about 5 days the eggs will assume a lighter color, 
and gradually the outline of the coming silk worm may 
be seen through the shell. The floor should now he 
sprinkled and kept moist, to assist the worm in breaking 
the shell more readily. 

The early morning hours of the 6th day will usually 
hatch out about one-half of the entire number of the eggs, 
and the remainder will follow on the succeeding day — 
those not hatching out by that time should be discarded, 
as they are usually of feeble constitution, and will not 
prove profitable even should they mature. When the 
proper time arrives, the eggs should be brought out 
gradually from the cold cellar at forty degrees, to a room 
at fifty degrees, for one hour; then to a room at sixty 
degrees for half an hour, and then to hatching room at 
seventy-five degrees. Keep the temperature as uniform 
as possible, and if it is increased about two degrees each 
day it will hasten the hatching of the eggs. As the time 
of hatching approaches the eggs grow lighter in color, 
and if the floor is sprinkled, to moisten the atmosphere, 
it will enable the worms to eat through the shell more 
easily. A small amount of moisture appears to freshen 
and invigorate them. The worms hatch out from four to 
eighl o'clock in the morning. — (Rossiter.) 



THE WORM. 

The Silk Worm (Bombyx Mori), immediately after being 
hatched out, is hardly 2 millimeters in length, but grows 
rapidly, and at the end of 4 to 6 weeks is over 8 centimeters 
long. Its color is at first a dark brown, almost black, but 
becomes lighter after each molt, so that at the end of 
its worm existence it is almost a pure white and trans- 
parent. 

During its life it passes through 4 molts, each one of 
which is preceded by a voracious appetite, and after each 
molt the worm increases perceptibly in size, and changes 
in color and appearance. 

The periods between these different molts are called 
"ages," there being five of these ages, including the first 
from the hatching and the last from the fourth molt to 
the spinning period. The time between each, of these 
molts is usually divided as follows: The first period oc- 
cupies from five to six days, the second but four or five, 
the third about five, the fourth from five to six, and the 
fifth from eight to ten. 

The preparation for each molt requires from two to 
three clays of fasting and rest, during which time the 
worm attaches itself firmly by the abdominal prolegs (the 
8 non-articulated legs under the 6th, 7th, 8th, and 9th 
segments of the body, called prolegs in contradistinction 
to the 6 articulated true legs under the 1st, 2d, and 3d 
segments), and holds up the forepart of the body, and 
sometimes the tail. During the time of preparing for 
the molt the worm must not be disturbed, or removed. 
In front of the first joint a dark, triangular spot is at this 
time noticeable, indicating the growth of the new head; 
and when the term of "sickness" is over, the worm casts 
its old integument, rests a short time to recover strength, 
and than freshened, supple, and hungry, goes to work 
feeding voraciously to compensate for lost time. This so- 



10 

called "sickness" which preceded the molt was, in its 
turn, preceded by a most voracious appetite, which served 
to stretch the skin. In the operation of molting the new 
head is first disengaged from the old skin, which is then 
gradually worked back from segment to segment until 
entirely cast off. If the worm is feeble, or has met with 
any misfortune, the shriveled skin may remain on the 
end of the body, being held by the anal horn ; in which 
case the individual usually perishes in the course of time. 

FEEDING AND REARING THE WORM, 1st Age. 

FROM THE HATCHING TO THE FIRST MOLT. 

The young worm should be fed only on small and 
tender leaves, and some culturists even prefer to chop the 
food for the very young worm, but, especially for larger 
colonies, this procedure would take too much time, and 

I furthermore do not believe it at all necessary, as in the 
spring the leaves are small and tender, and nature has 
provided the worms with sufficiently strong jaws to cut 
them. 

The food should be renewed whenever the leaves have 
become in the least dry, which takes place very soon in 
the dry atmosphere of the cocoonery, and especially when 
the leaves are young and tender. 

The worms eat most freely in the early morning, 
between 5 and G A. M., and late at night, between 10 and 

II P. M. 

The Culturist cannot give the worm, during this first 
and most delicate age, too much care and watchfulness, 
and should feed them whenever they seem to require 
it. The leaves for the early morning meal should be 
picked the evening before, as those picked and fed 
witli the dew upon them are very apt to induce 
disease. An invariable rule should be, never to 
feed wet or damp leaves to your worms. In case 



11 

they are picked during a rain, they should be thorough- 
ly dried before being fed; and on the approach of a storm 
it is wise to lay in a stock, which should be occasionally 
stirred, to' keep them from heating. 

As the fifth or sixth day approaches, signs of the first 
molt begin to be noticed. The worm begins to lose ap- 
petite and grows more shiny, and soon the dark spot 
already described, appears above the head. Some will 
shed their skin more easily and quickly, than others, but 
no food should be given these forward ones until all have 
completed the molt. This serves to keep the batch to- 
gether, and the first ones will wait one or even two days 
without injury from want of food. The importance of 
keeping each batch together, and of causing the worms 
to molt simultaneously, cannot be too much insisted upon 
as a means of saving time. 

As soon as the great majority have molted they should 
be copiously fed, and, as they grow very rapidly after each 
molt, and as they rmist always be allowed plenty of room, 
it will probably become necessary to divide the batch, 
and this is readily done at any meal by removing the net 
when about half of the worms have risen and replacing 
it by an additional one. The space allotted to each batch 
should, of course, be increased proportionately with the 
growth of the worms. The young worms may be remov- 
ed from place to place by mecns of a small camel's-hair 
brush, but should be handled as little as possible. The 
same precautions should be observed in the three succeed- 
ing molts as in this first one. 



12 

Second, Third and Fourth Ages. 

From now on, up to the time of spinning, the worms 
daily require larger quantities of food, and the daily re- 
moval of all excrement and litter. 

The second and third casting of the skin take place 
with hut little more difficulty than the first, but the 
fourth is more laborious, and the worms not only take 
more time in undergoing it, but more often perish in the 
act. At this molt it is perhaps better to give the more 
forward individuals a light feed as soon as they have 
completed the change, inasmuch as it is the last molt and 
but little is to be gained by the retardation, whereas it is 
important to feed them all they will eat, since much of 
the nutriment given during the last age goes for the 
elaboration of the silk. At each successive molt the color 
of worm has been gradually whitening, until it is now of 
a decided cream color. Some breeds, however, remain 
dark, and occasionaly there is an individual with zebra- 
like markings. During these last few days the worms 
require the greatest care and attention. All excrement 
and litter must be removed often, and the sickly and 
diseased ones watched for and removed from the rest. 
The quantity of leaves which they devour in this fifth 
age is something enormous, and the feeding will keep 
the attendant busily employed. 

It has been usually estimated that the worm in its 
growth consumes its own weight of leaves every day it 
feeds; but this is only an approximation. Yet it is 
certain that during the last few days before commencing 
to spin, it consumes more than during the whole of its 
previous worm existence. 

Summed up, the requisites to successful silk worm rais- 
ing are, 1st. Uniformity of age in the individuals of the 
same tray, so as to insure their molting simultaneously. 
2d, No intermission in the supply of fresh food, except 



during the molting periods. 3d, Plenty of room, so that 
the worms may not too closely crowd each other. 4th, 
Fresh air and as uniform temperature as possible. 5th, 
Cleanliness'. The last three are particularly necessary 
during the fourth and fifth ages. While small, the frass, 
dung, and detritus dry rapidly, and may (though they 
should not) be left for several days in a tray with impu- 
nity; but he who allows his trays to go uncleaned for 
more than a day during the ages mentioned will suffer 
in the disease and mortality of his worms just as they are 
reaching the spinning point. 

A crop from hatching to spinning will occupy from 30 
to 35 days if all details have been properly attended to by 
the culturist. 

PREPARATIONS FOR SPINNING. 

With eight or ten days of busy feeding, after the last 
molt, the worms, as we have learned before, will begin to 
lose appetite, shrink in size, become restless, and throw 
out silk, and the arches for the spinning of the cocoons 
must now be prepared. These can be made of twigs of 
different trees, two or three feet long, set up upon the 
shelves- over the worms, and made to interlock in the form 
of an arch above them. Interlace these twigs with broom 
corn, hemlock, or other well-dried brush. The feet of 
each arch should be only about a foot apart. The tem- 
perature of the room should now be kept obove 80°, as 
the silk does not flow so freely in a cool atmosphere. The 
worms will immediately mount into the branches and 
commence to spin their cocoons. They will not all, how- 
ever, mount at the same time, and those which are more 
tardy should be fed often, but in small cpaantities at a 
time, in order to economize the leaves, as almost every 
moment some few will quit and mount. There will al- 
ways be a few which altogether fail to mount, and pre- 
fer to spin in their trays. It is best, therefore, after the 



14 

bulk have mounted, to remove the trays and lay brush 
carefully over them. The fact that the worms already 
mounted make a final discharge of soft and semifluid 
excrement before beginning to spin makes this separ- 
ation necessary, as otherwise the cocoons of the lower 
ones would be badly soiled. 

As the worms begin to spin they should be carefully 
watched, to guard against two or three of them making 
what is called a double or treble cocoon, which would be 
unfit for reeling purposes Whenever one worm is about 
to spin up too near another, it should be carefully remov- 
ed to another part of the arch. In two or three days the 
spinning will have been completed, and in six or seven 
the chrysalis will be formed. 

GATHERING THE COCOONS. 

A week from the time the worms begin to spin the co- 
coons should be harvested, by taking the arches careful- 
ly apart, and carefully removing the thin and spotted 
cocoons, so that they may not soil the clean ones. 

The " Cocoon" is tough and compact, and is 
composed of a continuous thread of silk, which is 
strong and firm, and is spun by the worm in figure of 8 
shaped loops. Its shape is generally oval or egg-shaped, 
and varies in color, the commonest of which are the 
yellow, straw or cream color, white and green. These 
are supposed to denote the nationality of the worm spin- 
ning them. The larger sized, rounder formed, cocoons, 
denote the females, while the males are more slender 
shaped, depressed in the centre and pointed at both ends. 
This is generally used as a rule among growers. The 
outer lining of the cocoon is a loose silk spun by the worm 
when preparing for its final work. It is called flock, or 
floss, and sells with the pierced cocoons and other waste 
silk. This cannot be reeled, but is carded and spun by 
the manufacturers. 



15 

THE MOTH. 

If the object is to raise eggs, the largest, best shaped, 
and firmest cocoons should be selected, chosing an equal 
number of each sex, which can be however only approx- 
imately done by weighing a quantity of them, and then 
determining the females by their weight, being over the 
average. The selected cocoons are now laid aside in a 
dark but ventilated room for twelve or fifteen clays, when 
the moth will emerge from them. 

In producing moths from cocoons, the temperature 
must not be too high, not above 73°, or the transition 
would be too rapid and result in an enfeebled moth. In 
the transformation from worm to moth, there is no dis- 
position to wander; the fly will spend its short span of 
life within its limits. 

The moth finds some difficulty in escaping. For this 
purpose it is provided, in two glands near the absolute 
mouth, with a strongly alkaline liquid secretion with 
which it moistens the end of the cocoon and dissolves 
the hard gummy lining. Then, by a forward and back- 
ward motion, the prisoner, with crimped and damp 
wings, gradually forces its way out, and when once out, 
the wings soon expand and dry. The silken threads are 
simply pushed aside, but enough of them get broken in 
the process to render the cocoons from which the moths 
escape comparatively useless for reeling. 

The moth is of cream color, with more or less distinct 
brownish markings across the wings. The males have 
broader antennae or feelers than the females, and may, 
by this feature, at once be distinguished. Neither sex 
flies, but the male is more active than the female. They 
couple soon after issuing, and in a short time the female 
begins depositing her eggs, whether they have been im- 
pregnated or not. 



16 

CHOKING THE CHRYSALIS. 

Those cocoons not used for raising eggs, should now 
be placed on shelves and in a tight box, and an opening- 
made to fit a pipe attached to a steam boiler, and the 
steam then turned in. Twenty minutes will suffice to 
choke the chrysalis, and the cocoons are then dried in 
the sun. 

After choking in this manner, the cocoons should be 
strewn upon long wooden shelves in the shade, with 
plenty of air, and, for the first few days, frequently stir- 
red. After remaining on these shelves for about two 
months, with occasional stirrings, the chrysalids become 
quite dry and the cocoons will preserve indefinitely. 
They are, however, still subject to the attacks of rats and 
mice, and the little beetles known as "museum pests," 
belonging to the genera Dermestes and Anthrenus, are 
attracted by the dead chrysalis within and will penetrate 
the cocoon, injuring it for reeling purposes. 

SHIPPING THE COCOONS. 

Now, that they are thoroughly stifled, take off all floss 
silk, and sort the cocoons, placing all of the firmest and 
of one color together — the satins which are smooth and 
glossy like satin, together; the thinest, the doubles and 
most inferior apart, as these points affect their marketable 
value very greatly. They should be carefully packed 
(not crammed) in 1 tags or barrels for transportation. Floss 
silk and pierced cocoons being of inferior value can be 
packed in coarse bags, and as express charges tax severe- 
ly heavy transfers, it would be best to pack in bags alto- 
gether. — [Long.) 



17 

ANTS AND OTHER INSECTS. 

Great care should be taken to guard against the in- 
cursions of ants and other predaceous insects, which 
would make sad havoc among the worms were they al- 
lowed an entrance, and all through the existence of the 
insect, from the egg to the moth, rats and mice are on 
the watch for a chance to get at them, and are to be 
feared almost as much as any other enemy the silk worm 
has. 

DISEASES OF THE SILK WORM. 

It would be folly for the author of this work to attempt 
to give either a list of the diseases of the silk worm, or 
their remedy, for as he has never yet had an} 7 diseases 
among the worms raised by him, his experience in this 
direction is not of practical observation, and therefore we 
take this chapter from the able pen of Prof. C. V. Riley, 
whose extended knowledge, thorough research and official 
position have given, him opportunity to thoroughly in- 
vestigate the ailments of the silk worm, both in this 
country and Europe: 

As regards the enemies of the silk worm but little need 
be said. It has been generally supposed that no true 
parasite will attack it, but in China and Japan great 
numbers of the worms are killed by a disease known as 
uji, which is undoubtedly produced by the larva of some 
insect parasite. Several diseases of a fungoid or epizootic 
nature, and several maladies, which have not been 
sufficiently characterized to enable us to determine their 
nature are common to this worm. One of these diseases, 
called muscardine, has been more or less destructive in 
Europe for many years. It is of precisely the same 
nature as the fungus (Empusa muscae), which so fre- 
quently kills the common house fly, and which sheds a 
halo of spores, readily seen upon the window pane, 
around its victim. * ****** j^ appears that no 



IS 

remedies are known, but that care in procuring good 
eggs, care in rearing the worms, good leaves, pure, even 
temperatured atmosphere, and cleanliness are checks to 
the disease. The trays and other objects with which the 
diseased worms may have been in contact should be 
purified by fumigations of sulphurous acid,- produced by 
mixing bisulphite of soda with any strong acid, or, 
better still, by subjecting them to a carbolic acid spray 
from an atomizer. In this way all fungus spores will be 
destroyed, In fact it will be well to wash off the trays 
or shelves once in a while with diluted carbolic acid as a 
sure prevention. It is one of the best disinfectants 
known to science 

Another disease, known as pebrine, has proved ex- 
tremely fatal in southern Europe, and for twenty years 
has almost paralyzed silk culture in France. It is a 
disease which, in its nature and action, except in being 
hereditary, bears a striking analogy to cholera among 
men. "The worms affected by pebrine grow unequally, 
become languid, lose appetite, and often manifest discolor- 
ed spots upon the skin. They die at all ages, but, as in 
muscardine, the mortality is greatest in the last age. The 
real nature of this malady was for a long time unknown. 
In 1849 M. Guerin-Meneville first noticed floating cor- 
puscles in the bodies of the diseased worms. These cor- 
puscles were supposed by him to be endowed with 
independent life, but their motion was afterwards shown 
by Filippi to depend on what is known as the Brownian 
motion, and they are known either by the name of 
panhistophyton, first given them by Lebret, or by that of 
psorospermise. They till the silk canals, invade the 
intestines, and spread throughout the tissues of the 
animal in all its different stages; and though it was for 
a long time a mooted question as to whether they were 
the true cause or the mere result of the disease, the 
praiseworthy researches of Pasteur have demonstrated 
that pebrine is entirely dependent upon the presence and 



19 

multiplication of these corpuscles. He has analyzed the 
disease so clearly that not only do we see its nature, but 
are able to point out the remedy. The disease is both 
contagious and infectious, because the corpuscles which 
have been passed with the excrement or with other 
secretions of diseased worms have been taken into the 
alimentary canal of healthy ones in devouring the soiled 
leaves, and because it may be inoculated by wounds in- 
flicted by the claws. It is hereditary on the mother's 
side, because the moth may have the germ of the disease 
and yet oviposit. Indeed, the eggs may be affected and 
yet look fair and good, the microscopic psorospiermise not 
being visible, so that the only true test of disease or 
health is an examination of the parent moth ; and b}^ 
killing off all infected moths the disease can be con- 
trolled. 

"Both the diseases mentioned are, therefore, in 
the strict sense of the word the silk worm plagues; 
the one of a fungus and the other of an epizootic 
nature. Each become epidemic when the conditions 
are favorable for the undue multiplication of the 
minute organisms which produce them, or when the 
checks to the increase of such organisms are removed by 
carelessness or ignorance." Cleanliness and purification 
are absolutely necessary in treating both these diseases, 
and in pebrine care must be taken that the eggs are 
sound hj a microscopic examination of the moths. This 
may be done after the eggs are laid, and if the corpus- 
cles be found in the mother her eggs should be dis- 
carded. 

Silk worms are subject to other diseases, but none of 
them have ever acquired the importance of those des- 
cribed. What is called gattine by older authors is but a 
mild phase of pebrine. The worms are apt to be purged 
by unwholesome leaves; too great heat makes them 
sickly; or they may become yellow, limp, and die of a 



20 

malady called grasserie or jaundice, which is almost sure 
to appear in large broods, and which is very common in 
those reared in this country. When the worms die from 
being unable to molt they are called lusettes, and such 
cases are most abundant at the fourth molt. All these 
different ailments, and others not mentioned, have re- 
ceived names, some local, others more general; but none 
of them warrant further notice here, as they are not 
likely to become very troublesome if proper attention 
and care be given to the worms. 

VARIETIES OR RACES. 

The different varieties of silk worms have been pro- 
duced by domestication. The different climates into 
which it has been carried having effected changes in the 
habits of the worm, the shape and color of the cocoon, or 
the quality of the silk. There are different varieties of 
the silk worm: — the "Annual," which produces only one 
crop of silk in a year; the "Bivoltin," or "2-crop worm/ 7 
AvhioJi, like the "Annual," hatches in April or May; and 
which unlike the Annual, again hatches for a second 
crop in eight to twelve days after the eggs are laid by 
the first brood. The eggs of this second brood are always 
laid away for the next spring crop; for if hatched they 
would not live, there being no food for them so late in 
the season, and the weather being unfit to rear them. 
"Trivoltins" produce three annual broods. There are 
also "Quadrivoltins;" and, in Bengal, a species known as 
"Dacey" is said to produce eight broods in the course of 
a year. Some varieties molt only three times instead of 
four — especially in warm countries — as also do the "Tri- 
voltins." The "Annuals" only are recommended for this 
country. Varieties are also known by the color of their 
cocoons, "greens, whites and yellows," and also by the 
country in which they best flourish. The most noted 
varieties are "Italian," producing line, small, yellow 
cocoons; "French," producing large, yellow and straw- 



21 

colored cocoons; "Turkish," producing large, white co- 
coons; the "Japanese," white and green, and the 
"Chinese," white cocoons. Some of these are "Annuals," 
but the different colored cocoons are generally called by 
the above name. The silk of the "white" cocoons is the 
most valuable in commerce, but the "straw-colored" is 
.most sought after. The races producing the yellow and 
straw-colored cocoons are considered the most vigorous. 
— (Rossiter.) 

FOOD PLANTS. 

The usual food for the silk worm is the mulberry, the 
"white" being the best and the "purple" the next. The 
"paper" mulberry is not good for them and should be 
avoided. 

The following directions are from a practical raiser for 
growing standard trees: The cuttings should remain 
in the nursery two years without pruning. The 
third year cut close to the ground and transplant. 
Allow the finest shoot to grow, and if the land 
is good it will grow eight to ten feet in height 
in one season. The fourth year cut it back to 
about six feet. Then allow the three or four terminal 
buds only to grow, removing the others as often as they 
appear, by passing the hand along the stem. The 
"Morette," a variety of white mulberry, is profitably 
grown in hedges. It is very desirable on account of the 
large size of its leaves. The cultivation of the Osage 
Orange is well understood in this country. As it is 
generally used as a hedge in those parts of the country 
which are specially adapted to silk culture, the leaves may 
be readily obtained, and as the hedges need trimming, 
the cutting of the new growth each year as the leaves 
are wanted for food, is a saving rather than an expense. 
Those using this plant for food for silk worms must 
remember, that as the shoots from a hedge-row become 
more vigorous, milky and succulent by the time of the 



22 

last age of the worms, the terminal leaves should not be 
used, but thrown aside, as they are likely to induce 
disease. If care lie taken in this respect, there will be no 
apparent difference between the silk crop and that of the 
mulberry. Should the worms from any cause hatch 
before either Mulberry or Osage Orange leaves can be 
obtained, they may be successfully fed for a few days on 
dried "lettuce or dandelion leaves," but it is worse than 
a useless waste of time to attempt feeding them entirely 
on these, or the leaves of any other plants than the two 
here recommended. 

THE COCOONERY. 

The room in which the rearing is done is usually 
called the cocoonery. It should have a north-eastern 
exposure. The air should be kept pure all the time, and 
arrangements made to secure a good circulation. It 
should be well lighted. If buildings are erected express- 
ly for the purpose, they must combine all these. If only 
a small number of worms are to be raised, a few trays 
placed on tables will be all that will be required. If, 
however, large numbers are reared, frames or racks and 
trays must be provided, the wood, in all cases, to be well 
seasoned. Make upright frames around the room, to 
hold the number of trays to be used to accommodate the 
worms raised. The worms must not be huddled too 
closely together, as they need plenty of room for feeding 
and ventilation. If too many are kept together in the 
trays, they cannot feed properly — it is more difficult to 
change them — and it also tends to create disease among 
them. The trays are formed of thin frames like laths, 
set edgeways — say 16 inches by 24 inches. (This will be 
a good size for handling easy.) Drive tacks half way in, 
on the under side of the frames, all around, about half 
an inch apart. Then take good strong twine, not too 
thick, run it from tack to tack lengthways of the frame, 
stretching it tightly — then crossways, interlapping it so 



23 

as to make a firm support for the musquito netting, 
haves and worms. After stretching the twine on the 
frame, drive the tacks in to the heads, and the tray is 
complete.. A tray of this size will hold and feed 1000 
worms at first and second age, after which time they 
must be separated as they grow larger, placing them on 
other trays. Have mosquito netting (white) cut so as to 
fit the trays — providing enough to have changes every 
day, which must be attended to, as cleanliness is actually 
necessary for the health of the worms. Change them 
early in the morning, and hang the netting used over 
night, up to air. When the worm is first hatched, 
tarletan is used in place of netting (the meshes of which 
are too large). On this sprinkle some fresh, tender 
leaves. The little worms will leave the eggs and im- 
mediately commence eating, and from this time constant 
attention must be paid to renewing the leaves as often as 
may be required; and as the worms eat fast, and the 
leaves dry rapidly, they need replenishing often. 



24 

FACTS THAT MUST BE REMEMBERED. 

A uniform temperature is very important and neces- 
sary in silk growing. The temperature should never 
fall below 70°, nor raise much above 80°. If extreme 
hot weather should set in, the floor should be sprinkled 
or wet cloths hung up in the rearing room to keep the 
temperature clown. 

Ventilation is an important factor in successful silk 
growing, and must be strictly attended to, but a draft 
directly upon the worms must never be allowed. 

Cleanliness cannot be too much insisted upon, and the 
clearing of the litter every alternate day during the first 
and second ages, and every day during, the 3d, 4th and 
5th ages dare not be omitted. 

Give all your trays a thorough airing whenever they 
are empty, and spraying them with a solution of carbolic 
acid, of the strength already mentioned in another part 
of this work, will do much toward preventing disease 
among your little army of spinners. 

Never allow the worms to become crowded, give them 
plenty of room, especially as they near the 4th and 5th 



Never feed wet or damp food, as this will purge the 
worms. 

A large quantity of food at one time, is only a waste, 
and will not save you from feeding them often. — Bear 
this in mind. 

The direct rays of the sun falling upon them will kill 
the worms. — Sudden changes from warm to cold, or vice- 
versa are hurtful and dangerous. 

Too great heat makes them sicklv. 



25 

See that the leaves fed are clean, and that no other 
leaves than the mulberry, or Osage Orange be fed. 
Tobacco smoke is poison in a cocoonery. 

Birds and insects of all kinds are enemies of the silk 
worm. 

Be sure you procure good eggs, or your entire labor of 
a season may result in a failure. The Eggs sold by The 
Enterprise Silk Co. of La Salle, Illinois, are all micro- 
scopically examined, and therefore positively free from 
disease, and furnished at as low prices as reliable seed 
can be procured. 



26 . 

SILK CULTURE 

AS A PROFITABLE EMPLOYMENT. 

Many thousand of woman and children are unable to 
labor in shop, field, or factory, and have no other moans 
of converting their labor into capital. To such, and 
thousands of others, silk culture is an easy and money 
making employment at home, as it requires' but a email 
amount of labor and outlay, and is peculiarly adapted to 
the skill and care naturally possessed by women. 

HOW TO BEGIN SILK CULTURE. 

A book of instruction, about \ or I oz. of good eggs, an 
Osage orange hedge, and a room, are all that are neces- 
sarily needed for a start. 

No special buildings are required, and silk culture 
does not interfere with domestic duties. 

Use nothing but the best Eggs. 

For a beginning send to The Enterprise Silk Co., La 
Salle, Illinois, for the following articles, and you are 
ready to make a good start: 

1 Book of Instructions $ .25 

J oz. Eggs 3.00 

Tray and Frames (as models) 1.50 

Perforated Paper for all ages 50 

$5.25 

Address all communications, and enclose return 
postage to 

THE ENTERPRISE SILK CO., 
La Salle. Ell. 

CARL STRAOK, 1'ivs. 

.).('. DAW KINS, SeC.A Tn-as. 



28 . 

SILK GROWERS REQUISITES. 

The Enterprise Silk Co. of La Salle, Illinois, is composed of 
practical and successful silk growers, and their aim is to make this 
new industry become more general, and furnish both pleasant and 
profitable employment to the many thousands whose constitutions 
and positions will not permit them to labor in the field or factory. 
This Company therefore furnishes none but the very best of every- 
thing needed by the Culturist. 

Our Silk Worm Eggs are all microscopically examined, and can be 
relied upon. 

We append herewith our list of prices, which are lower than prime 
goods can be offered bv any other house. 



PRICES OF SILK WORM EGGS. 

Japanese annuals, white and green per 

Turkish " white 

Italian " vellow 

French " white and yellow 

bivoltins, yellow 

Chinese " white 



oz. $6.00 
6.00 
6.00 
6.00 
6.00 
8.00 



Full instructions for hatching sent with every order. Eggs should be ordered 
as early as possible in the winter months. 

PRICES OF MULBERRY SEED. 

Moras Alba $4.00 per lb. ; 40c. per oz. 

" Roses and Moretti 6.00 " 50c. " 

" Migra, Caucasian and Tartarica 8.00 •' 60c. " 

PRICES OF REQUISITES. 

1 Tray and 2 Frames $1.50 

Floor and Tray Suotiges, each 25c. and up 

Tarlatan frame covers for 1st age, each 5c. 

Mosquito-net " " 2d " each 5c. 

Handmade-net frame covers No. 1 for 3d and 4th ages, each 50c. 

No. 2 " 5th age. each 50c. 

Perforated-paper frame covers for 3d, 4tn and 5th ages, each 5c. 

Camel-hair Brushes 10c. 

Pruning Knives, each 50c. to #1.50 

Leaf-cutting Shears 90c. to 2.50 

Leaf Choppers 25c. and 50c. 

Thermometers 25c. and up 

Thermometer and Hygrometer combined, $5.00 

Magnifying Classes, 2 lenses 90c. and .$1.50 

3 " #1.10, $1.40 and 1.75 

Mating Boxes . 2.00 

Guide to Silk-Culture by c. Strack 25c. 

HOW TO SEND ORDERS. 

Orders must give reference or be accompanied by cash, (by express, 
or postal order, or check, or registered letter.) Cash orders have 
preference, and are guaranteed to be filled immediately. Goods will 
be shipped C. O. D. if one quarter of the price accompanies order. 
Address all orders to 

CARL STRACK, Pre, THE ENTERPRISE SILK CO., 

J. C. DAWKINS, Sec. & Treas. LA SALLE, ILL. 



SPOOL SJL.JC 

™" s F0R /^saPI Ik Used and 

Length, fwgpjk ■*$£$& Endorsed by 
Strength. |I||J|| I all Leading 

rnequaled for either Hand or Machine use. 
Always reliable for dressmaking and family sewing. 
Absolutely free from knots and imperfections. 



NOTICE OUR GUARANTEE. 



If any CORTICELLI Spool Silk is found to be 
imperfect, we authorize any Storekeeper to refund 
the money, or present a new spool at our expense, 
even though imperfect spool may have been partly 
used. 



Sold by all Reliable Merchants. 

MANUFACTURED ONLY BY 

NONOTUCK SILK CO., 

FLORENCE, LEEDS, HAYDENYILLE, MASS. 

WESTERN HEADQUARTERS, 

278 and 280 Madison St., Chicago, 111. 
R. W. HARE, Manager. 



™,5 RflRY 0F CONGRESS 



002 842 884 4 




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